Egress trainers are known in the art. The generic egress trainer is a chair that floats when placed in the water. The general construction has been in existence since the late 1940's. It was originally designed by the Coast Guard, to train/teach pilots how to use correct procedures to escape from airplane cabins when submerged under water. Some types of egress trainers are known as shallow water egress trainers or “SWET.” The SWET chair created very little disorientation, so it was not as effective as it could be for training. Nonetheless, SWET chairs allows students with fear of water, or with low water level comfort, to adjust gradually to the water and the procedures taught for egress from a submerged aircraft cabin.
There are several known SWET chair designs. Some SWET chairs float, while others do not. Those that float are unstable on the surface of the water. Due to its unstable nature, once placed on the water, most instructors hold the chair steady for students to climb onto the seat and prepare for training. This is done for safety reasons. SWET chairs that do not float have a much more limited capability, because the student does not even get the floating sensation that creates realism to any extent. Non-floating SWET chairs can weigh as much as 380-450 lbs. It may take three to six instructors to place the chair into the water or remove it from the water after training. The skeletal structure is heavily constructed, so that heavy doors or exits can be attached to the structure for training. The weight alone makes using it a very difficult, unsafe, evolution for instructors to perform.
Some examples of crash similar are known in the patent literature. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,758,016 to Henriksson discloses a vehicle driver and combat situation simulator. The system simulates the complete operation of a vehicle, particularly a military vehicle, and provides an integrated vehicle training environment. U.S. Pat. No. 8,899,986 to Gluck discloses an air rescues simulator that comprises a helicopter passenger cabin that is attached to a crane system. The simulator is designed for instructional and training purposes. U.S. Pat. No. 3,225,458 to Glockl discloses a helicopter training device. The device is designed to be a pilot training device and allow helicopter pilots to have better instruction in the basic maneuvers of rotary winged aircraft.
Although these referenced patents each achieve their own unique and individual objectives, none relates to an egress training device. What is needed, therefore, is a very lightweight egress training device that creates a stable platform, has a modular construction, and that is lightweight and portable. The egress training device of the present disclosure fulfills these and other needs present in the art.